1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an audio signal outputting technology for the BGM (background music), sound effects, etc. used in a game.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional home video games, the main program which performs the primary game processing; the digital audio signals for reproducing BGM, sound effects, etc.; the control program for controlling the operation of the audio processor; etc. are recorded in an optical disk medium which stores the game software. The game apparatus reads the game software from the optical disk medium, develops it in the main memory, and performs game processing in response to keyed input operations of the player. In this game processing, the orchestration of acoustic effects is accomplished by outputting BGM, sound effects, etc. at the appropriate timing. The method of outputting BGM in a game is, for example, to switch the outputted BGM matched to game timing, such as when the game scene changes, when an enemy character is shot down, or when the player""s game character gets a power boost, etc. Conventionally, whenever BGM is switched, a method is used whereby the BGM is faded out, its output volume gradually being lowered, while the BGM to be newly reproduced is faded in, its output volume gradually being increased.
However, if the outputted BGM is forcefully switched, matched to game timing, such as at the change of a game scene, BGM switching with good timing from a musical standpoint cannot be done. For example, in the case that a game scene changes in the middle of a musical bar of the BGM being reproduced, if the BGM is switched in the middle of the bar, that will result in an unpleasant feeling musically. Likewise, BGM switching through fading in or fading out hinders a continuous musical linking and can cause the player to feel some strangeness. Moreover, it is not easy to prepare a plurality of BGM pieces matched to game scenes, so in general a procedure is adopted whereby a few BGM pieces are used repeatedly in each game scene.
To deal with this, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology which outputs an audio signal that has no unnatural feeling whenever an audio signal, reproduced and outputted, is switched. This is done by switching at a timing that is musically appropriate. In addition, a subject of the invention is to provide technology for rich musical expression, by combining data streams. This is done by turning on and off, according to the game scene, some of the plurality of data streams which make up a single BGM piece.
To achieve the above object, the audio signal outputting method of the present invention, captures the progress (timing) of the musical piece for each of a plurality of data streams, which are mutually synchronized musically. When an event which changes the audio signal being reproduced and outputted occurs, the method selects, from among above-mentioned plurality of data streams, a data stream combination corresponding to that event, doing so at a timing where there is a musical break, and reproduces and outputs the audio signal. By means of this method, the audio signal is changed at a musically appropriate timing.
In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to record on a computer-readable recording medium, a program for causing a computer system to execute the above-mentioned audio signal outputting method. As examples of this kind of recording medium, there are portable recording media, such as optical recording media (recording media from which data may be read optically, such as CD-RAM, CD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, PD disk, MD disk, MO disk, etc.); magnetic recording media (recording media from which data may be read magnetically, such as flexible disk, magnetic card, magnetic tape, etc.); memory cartridges having memory elements (semiconductor memory elements such as DRAM""s, and high dielectric memory elements, such as FRAM""s).
In addition, the above-mentioned program can be delivered xe2x80x9con-demandxe2x80x9d from a network server, such as a Web server and the like, in response to a request from a client device (a personal computer, a game machine, or a portable terminal such as a portable telephone, a personal digital assistance (PDA), or a Palm-type PC, with a Web browser incorporated) connected to an open network, such as the Internet, a packet communication network, or the like.